Stepladder



C. M. WAGGONER.

STEPLADDER. Arrucmon msn nY1s.192|.

l 1,415,739. Fatemi May 9, 1922.

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y UNITED STA'llES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE M. WAGGONER, p OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISAAC B. POTTER, 0F RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

STEPLADDER.

Applicaties med my 1e, 1921.

To all fui/1.0m "it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE M. WAeeoNER, a citizen or' the United States, and resident of city of Riverside in the county of Riverside and State of alifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in iStepladders, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The steps of step ladders are commonly subjected in use to strains in various directions bythe weight of the users, such strains beingtransmitted to the stiles, of course.

It is highly desirable to combine lightness with` entire rigidity at the junctions of the steps and. stiles. `Any relative movement of these parts causes constantly increasing looseness and leads to early ruin of the ladder. i

In ladders of the Patent No. 1,346,518, the strains mentioned are primarily borne by two bolts, which under pressure tend to compress the wood and thus permit the beginning of looseness.

The object of this invention is to avoid such compression oill the wood and at the same time to increase very greatly the rigidity and strength of the structure without adding greatly to its weight or cost.

The new construction uses nearly the devices ot' said patent but holds each bolt at two widely separated points by brace members, preferably of sheet steel, which transmit thrusts by the step and particularly its marginal portions, in part at least, to a point upon the stile at a material distance below the end oi the step.

In drawings, y

F ig. 1 is a sectional view showing connected portions of a stile and step with parts broken away. i

F ig. 9. is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, parts materially beyond the plane of section being omitted.

Fig. 4.- shows a or' certain bolts. i

ln these Figures, .A represents a stile and lll a step secured. to the stile by two bolts C which pass horizontally through a tie-bar (l, the stile and nuts l) which are non revoluble in recesses l@ in the lower side of the step and which align with holes F in which the bolts lit closely. The end of the type disclosed in mv tie bar :for the headed ends Specication of Letters Patent.

patented July 13, 1926, D

Patented May 9, 1922.

Serial No. 469,855.

step is reinforced b a plate Gr havinev a perforated flange I bent upward against the terminal face and having at its opposite side two narrower flanges I which are perforated to receive the bolts and which lie in the recesses E between the nuts `and the walls of the recesses. Were no other devices provided, strong thrusts by the steps would tend to compress" the wood of the stile, causing looseness, and besides the structure would not have all desirable strength.

I add a metal plate J resting against the inner face of the stile at the end of the step and extending downward for a considerable distance. This plate is preferably V-shaped and has its narrow lower portion perforated to receive a bolt K which clamps it to the stile. A second analogous inclined brace plate L is provided and this has at its upper end Wings which extend into the recesses 4 and are perforated to receive the bolts C. This plate is narrowed like the other and its lower end is also secured by the bolt K, which is approximately in the middle of the stile. The marginal portions of the plate L are bent inwardly at right angles to iorm flanges L which inthe embodiment chosen for illustration, extend to and abut the stile The marvinal portions of the plate J are shown as a so bent inwardly and forming ianges J which overlap and i'it closely be tween the flanges L the pairs of flanges thus affording each other mutual lateral support. Further, each plate having its flanges perpendicular to its body, lateral deflection of. either plate is practically impossible, and of course the broad plates` themselves can hardly yield edgewise. Obviously, Hanging both lates is not indis ensable.

Eit er of the two p ates may be omitted without losing all the advantages of the other, and when both are used it is matter of expediency in manufacture whether they be integral, as it is also whether one or both be plane.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a stile and a step, a broad metal plate extending into a re cess inthe lower side of' the step at some distance from the stile, passing obliquely downward to the stile and having its lower end fixed to the latter at some distance below the step, and bolts passing through the stile, the upper portion of said plate, and the intervening portion of the step.

2. The combination with a step, of a wood. stile.v having a long acing- `plate of metal, adapted to receive neartits upperendv the end of the step, a broad brace plate extending intothe lower side or' the st-epand passing obliquely downward to meet the liao# ing;platefmaterially;below the step and having stitlening marginal langes,bolts passing through the stile, the upper portion or each plateI and the intervening portion or the step, and a bolt bindingV tlie'lower vparts o'f both platesto the stile.` y

3. 'l` he combination with a stile, of a step abutting the stile having a metal raced Vend and in lits lower. side recesses near the margins, respectively, ofthe'step, a stile-facing plate 'interposed between said end andV stile and extending downward. to'ar'n'aterial distance from the step, a broad brace plate pro vided with flanges lying in 'said recesses, respectively, and'itselii'extending obliquely to the'. lower portion ot' the 'plate'irst mentioned, bolts passing through the stile',said platre and brace plate lflanges and engaging nuts inv said'reeesses, respectively, and a bolt 'binding the lower ends of said plate andA brace plate to the. stile'. i

il. The combination with a wood stile and a step abutting the same, or'l aplanevmetal brace sheet extending obliquely from the step to the stile,`seeu`red to both, and havingv a 'flange itting the angle between the two and perpendicular tothe plane or said sheet.

5. The combination with a stile, an abutting step, and bolts binding the margins ot the stile to the corresponding margins ol'A the step, a metal plate interposed between the stileand lstep end and forming below the step a triangular body converging to the middle portion or the stile, a similarly eonverging brace sheet extending obliquely from the step to the lower portion of said body and having marginal flanges extending to said body, and means for securing the lower ends or said body and brace sheet to the stile.

6. The combination with a step having an end facing oli' metal, or a stile, a metal plate, between said facing and stile, extending downward along the stile and having marginal `flanges projecting` inwardlyT therefrom, a metal brace sheet extending obliquely downward from the step to the stile and having late-ral flanges iitting the angle made by the step and stile and overlapping thc {anges first mentioned, bolts binding together the step end, stile, and interposed end facing plate, and means for rigidly [ixing the lower end or the plate and sheet to the stile.

In testimony whereof l hereunto allix my signature.

CLAUDE M. VAGGONEH. 

